Horus turned and twisted in his bed...
"Tharik... Abaddon... Father, I am sorry..."
(Horus Dreams.)
Horus watched as his past began to haunted him...
Trillions of souls cried out for vengeance both those that is loyal to him and those that despised him...
"You are the Emperor favorite but yet you betrayed us brother!?" Cried a shadow of a wolf that glared at him...
"You dammed us... And my sons to a eternal curse... Why brother?" Cried a bloodied angel shedding tears of blood...
He closed his eyes hoping they would go away...
He found himself standing in his flagship he looked outside and saw Terra burning from the observation deck below....
As Horus stood on the Vengeance spirit, a ship now long been destroyed.... Repeating the same mistakes..the same attacks, Damming his brother and his sons to a lifelong curse through space and time. Stabbing his father in the same spot... Playing a broken stage by the chaos gods that he knew already that he was being used...
But a man, not a god stood in his way... Perhaps it was salvation or just a end to his miserable existence?
"I will wait for you and I forgive you..." Said a Golden figure that was his father as he erased his existence...
His end repeated like a broken loop... Never ending
As if his story had stopped there...
"Brother... Brother..." A familiar voice echoed in the mist of memories...
As Horus turned to the sound... And reached out for it...
His ankles was held back by something...
As he looked at his feet he could see the endless tides of corpses of the men he led, the people he killed chained him... A ocean of blood and malice beginning to swallow Horus...
Drowning the prodigal son in the madness and malice in the depths...
And the head of the flesh chain was his son Abaddon staring at him with eyes of hate and fury...
"YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU CAN BE FORGIVEN FATHER!" Abaddon screamed alongside uncountable corpses follow his yell, forcing Horus to wake up immediately...
Horus found himself in a room that he recognized... A room that was made for him in the scholar progenium...
And he found Alexander sitting next to him, looking worried...
"Horus...Do you have a problem? You were screaming that even Magnus have alerted me about your condition..." Alexander asked...
"Brother... It is nothing..."
"Look Horus, we been through thick and thin, and I know you that you are hiding something...can you at least tell me why you been having these panic attacks lately?"
Seeing Horus remained silent...
"Is it about the time when you are the Warmaster?"
"Seems like you still know me.... The nightmares are getting worse ever since we left my father universe..."
"I see... Guilt... I not going to sugarcoat it, that you done some insanity towards humanity...Even so-"
"I hold his soul... And I have his memories vividly in my mind...all the things I done... I know that Father ask me to protect you as best I can..."
"I know... He told me about it... Remember he and I are linked... So he did forgive you..."
"What about my sons, men that died for me...the people I swore to protect? The families I ripped apart in my madness? Aren't you a hypocrite for just making father the all forgiving when-"
Horus was stopped as Alexander held his hand on Horus Arms breaking his train of thought.
"Horus... There is a reason why he chose you and the former Primarchs to assist me... He wanted you to reflect and grow to become a better person... I know I may not be the father figure like Revelation... But at least I could hear you out... You after all are still my brother..."
"And it's been almost a frakkin 10k since you were killed and revived, humanity have more bigger problems than chasing a dead man...I along with your brothers with me will help you as much as possible... We done terrible things Horus, my hands is no cleaner than yours or the Emperor...During the Time I served in the Golden age of Humanity, How many Xenos civilizations I butchered for the Interest of humanity despite they are peaceful? How many rebellious element of humanity I put down and made a example of? Horus... If there is a heaven that is different from your father place... I would been banished and sent to the depths of hell for all the bloodshed and crimes I done in service to humanity..."
Horus chuckle a bit...
"So that means that I always have your company..."
"Sure... Now let's get a cup of tea... It would calm your nerves... And we will talk until you are calm down... I will watch over you brother...and remember... The Emperor gave you a new lease of life, a canvas that you alone will paint, not by the chaos gods whispering or people expectations of you...in here you are simply Horus the Dean of Mar Scholar progenium...not Warmaster Horus... And just as you protect me... I too will protect you... Sadly there is not much infrastructure here to fit a Primarch... But the night sky is perfect for a conversation..."
(Outside the Scholar progenium)
On a makeshift tables and chairs made of marble and Wolf pelts with a Brazier large enough to light up the place, a Late night Tea session was in place.
"When I look at the stars... And did not see the Eye of Terror in here... I thought it was just a dream."
"Although, We have to worry about the bugs and the incoming invaders..."
"Even so, it is more peaceful place than what I had to go through... The expectations of being the Warmaster..."
"You know one thing Horus? Well, originally I was supposed to hunted down my enemies alone... As your father gave a invitation to invite me to your universe... My first impression was that I am literally going to die there..."
"Father always love the irony... Sending you there..."
"Even so... I grew stronger, I met people I called family, My brothers and my duty... In a way I am more grateful for his irony." Alexander sipped a Rosemary tea that is imported from Earth.
"So what should I do when the time comes?"
"Protect the Scholar progenium... Your Legion is being prepared...and I assure you... If you wish to take up your blade once more brother... It is your choice... I will not force you to join in the upcoming conflict... But I know that you can make the right choice." Alexander smiled.
"I will think about it."
"I know, Horus Luprecal always finds a way. And I can't bear to see a brother lost his way again..."
After a brief chuckle... Alexander spoke...
"Horus..."
"Yes?"
"Promise me... If I fall on the same path you did... Would you be there to save me?"
"I will..."
After watching Horus fell into a decent rest for the first time... Alexander face become emotionless.
And he left the room.
A Shard of his soul appeared In front of him...
"Keep a eye on Horus until I come back."
"Understood..."
"Theseus, did you got the psywave that attacked Horus?"
"It is somewhere in the red light district... It somehow managed to detected my presence until the person hidden themselves ... What are you planning to do?"
"Like I said... I am no father of Horus, I didn't have time to hear his Problems... But I could at least protect him...in my own special way." Alexander face darken as he requisition a vehicle and enter the red light district alone.
[Red light district]
Even for a proper society of the Federation there is always vices that they couldn't fully stamped out but to be regulated instead and with the introduction of the Eldars, some of the people find kinks of wearing Eldar clothes... One such place is where Alexander is heading...
Many people wander in this district of mars... And many didn't noticed the Director wander among them... How he weaved among the crowd, people unnoticed of his emotionless looks he scanned the one that actually attempted to harm Horus...
"Is it here?" Alexander looked at a unused warehouse... It was noted and hired by a company that went under... 30 years ago...
[Last location where it was found...]
"Alrighty then... Time for a bloodfest." Alexander smirked as he found signs of life just below the warehouse...
He entered in the roof and found crates of weapons piled high... And several guards defending the place
"So... A uprising? This guards are over equipped for a mere night guards.." Alexander approach a document of the shipments heading to this place...
"It is more than enough for several divisions of mechanized infantry...wait these are the OEM companies that agreed with my own...Seem like my brother troubled mind have led me to this place..."
He heard a conversation of the closest patrol...
"Seems like controlling the giant failed... And now they want to do another attempt? Again in the basement no less?"
"If he is under our control then Alexander would be under fire..."
"Shhhh, you Damm idiot... If you speak out his name the vigilante would come for you."
"Those are just mere scare rumors by the local thugs... The Caped Arbiter? Hah..."
"Oh? I am right here"
Both turned their guns towards where the sounds of the voice come from...
Both found their throats slit and their corpses and weapons dropped to the ground...
Alexander morphed into one of the slain security guards...
"Let's see what he got... Passwords, mission briefings... birthday for some random person... There we go...."
Alexander eyes narrow as one information came up...
"True Federationalist?" Alexander eyes burrowed even further.
While the United Citizens of the Federation was positive towards Alexander achievements, a part of it have formed a faction called themselves as the "True Federation" as they believed that Alexander was a plague and his advancements is destroying the Federation...
On the war front against the Bugs, they always never join forces with his organization and made bad Intel that costed the lives of his men, but the courts overruled his investigation of friendly fire...
But why do they want to control Horus?
They already overstepped their boundaries.
Now they better pay the price...
####
A Guard was waiting near the elevator...
He yawned as he waited for the shift to end...
He get the reasoning why these people fear Alexander Solair...
He is something else... These advancement on Mars is beyond his understanding as if it was like playing... No it was as if Alexander is a God...
Making the dead come back, reversing aging, creating planet out of nothing and curing cancer? If that is not a god what he is?
The Lights in the warehouse went out... And only the light of the elevator is still shining...
"Shit, the Circuit breaker is broken again? They ought to get at least some funding for replacing the circuit breakers" He grumbled as he began to fumble his uniform for a cigarette... Never realizing the man that he thinks is God is standing right next to him with a Knife...
"Now where is... Ah there is *urk*" He felt his throat was stabbed into the cranium, making him unable to call for help... His last sight was a man with eyes looking indifferent at him as if he was a being that is worthless to look at... And the person tranfomed into himself...
"He is the devil..." His eyes faded into darkness.
Alexander placed him in his inventory and he realized that there were people about to exit the elevator... And he grabbed the fallen guard weapon and stood guard, waited the figures to arrive with the same posture of the former guard....
Several Heavily armed soldiers wearing night goggles exited the elevator and began a defensive position...
A Commanding officer followed behind them and observed the darkness...
"What happened?"
"Circuit breaker is busted sir." Alexander look nonchalantly...
The Officer look around in the darkness and nodded.
"H-1 head back to the storage room and get the tools to repair the circuit breaker...I will inform what is happening here. You follow me."
The commanding officer head back to the elevator and as the elevator closed Alexander followed in.
As the elevator headed towards the bottom, Alexander look at the uniform more closely...
"This isn't Mobile infantry issued uniforms or even Imperial attire... Did they have a backing?" He wonder.
As the door opened Alexander eyes widen...
Facing him was a enormous facilities that he knows it would take longer than his arrival to this universe... Many of the people went to their daily task ignoring the officer that stepped out of the elevator...
"How come they went under my radar literally? And all these equipment need to take years to assemble and this is more high tech than what I could show the Federation..."
Alexander watched as several experiments is occuring...
Experimental Mechs, Genetic manipulation and robotics?
[Forerunner tech detected..And signs of a unknown energy below this place.]
'fuck'
Alexander knew how dangerous the Forerunner comapare to the Dark age of humanity. While he made the Hard light technology commercially available... He never let it weaponized but a unknown factor?
But his task is to follow the officer that is heading in a corridor.
And the security is tight, Retinal scanner, DNA Testing, Finger print, password, even Brain waves was a thing , he could brute force his way but it would scatter the rats...
" Alright, Guard now give a report about what happened on the surface." The Officer gave a salute and left... He was left alone in the corridor that lead into many passageway
Alexander wonder why it is so lax... Until he sensed thousand red lights aiming at his body... He simply walked towards the closest personnel that is looking at a computer screen...
"What is it?" Said the person looking at Alexander..
"The Circuit breaker is broken..."
"Understood is the cargo safe?"
"As far as I could ascertain before the lights went out, the cargo is still safe."
"Understood, now return to your post."
"Can I go to the bathroom?"
"Make it quick."
A Message came across the computer screen and the the person looked at it intently and unholstered his gun at Alexander...
"Who the hell are yo-"
Alexander managed to kill him and the Thousand light disappeared...
*Klaxon*
The P.A system rang out...
"Attention all staff, we have a intruder in our facility, the Devil is here! Find him and you will do humanity a favor of eliminating the taint! Release the Experiments!"
"So much for stealth mission... Well it is just Extermination." Alexander grinned as he transformer back... And Several Night Lords and Iron Warriors teleported behind him.. along with a contingent of Skitarii...
"Soldiers of the Imperium, I call upon you to purge the enemies within this facilities, no quarter, no mercy, for they harmed a son of the Emperor. And may their blood be the payment for such a act."
He jacked into the systems from the dead man computer and took control of the facility, All the Exit is locked and preventing them from escaping...
"I wonder who is the bastard that been trying to control my brother?"
He found the doors nearby is opening revealing four legged machines...
"Trying to stop me? Might as well send the entire rebellion to go after me!"
####
All the scientist and staff were stunned why he is here?
They know Alexander was benevolent to his allies but to those that harmed his interest... They received fate worse than death... They seen what he did to the prisoners... The Servitors...
Many tried to escape but unable to do so as the secret exits is locked down...
"How the hell he bypass through that many security protocols!?" A scientist panicked as she slammed one of the exits panel that refused to let her escape...
After a short while she heard rumbling behing her and saw a giant staring at her... Before she could demand anything, her skull was bashed with a bloodied Power mace.
Many of the security teams falter under the emotionless eyes of the Mechanicus finest as their plasma rifles butcher all that stood their way...
Screams echoed in the amidst of the sounds of gunfire and sizzling of the power weapons pierced into their bodies.
How many of them tried to escape to the point their fingernails were bleeding against the exitsas the executioners are arriving behind them?
Alexander hummed a tune as he passed by the research facilities gathering any documents and prototype that looked decent enough to be replicated... The Mechanicus that didn't join the slaughter was borrowing much of the data and instruments for their own... Alexander didn't really cared what they will do with it... But practicality aside it was more needed to absorb the needed tech...
And there was a sealed door past the research stations...
"Hmm...it is decent for a defense for a normal invasion... But not for me!"
One of the Iron Warriors carried a breaching charge and armed it into the door frame... And left promptly into a safe distance..
Upon several seconds the charge exploded and melted down the door... And several gunfire blasted from the door...
######
"Just how did he found out?" The commander manning this base gritted his teeth...
There are many of the core members of the facilities entered into the sealed command center... Hoping to wait out till their comrades reached this place... Never realizing that their Sos signals is blocked...
Many of the trained security team guarded the vault interiors making the lesser trained to be slaughter outside....
Some of the Mechs they managed to smuggled inside the vault... Stood ready against the Invaders.. many felt a sigh of relief...
Until they saw the glow from the vaults gate is glowing orange and blasted through.
Many of the defenders began to shoot out from the hole that was on the vault only met with a series of shots beyond the smoke that is still shrouded the attackers...
"Release the Demons they gave us!"
"Sir! They aren't even sure if they could be controlled!"
"Do it now or we all be destroyed!"
Several vats in the vault was drain of the liquid as the monsters within waken up and broke loose...
"Experiments kill Alexander so that we are free from this nightmare!"
Alexander looked apprehensive of the fact they even held demons within... Just to kill him?
He motion his soldiers aside as he raised a sword filled with flames lighting up the darkness...
Many of the soldier and Astartes knew that it was a task to prove that Alexander didn't need them to protect him... But as a restraints of preventing him from going berserk...
5 demons from a unknown origin...
One angry man that almost lost his family again...
And the stage is set...
The first demon took a first swipe... The force so great that it emitted a shockwave that made the walls behind Alexander cracked...
Only to realize that its chest was impaled and it was engulfed by raging inferno that left it into ashes...
The remaining demons took initiative to kill Alexander in numbers... If most of them is dead...one of them is bound to injure him with their venomed blades ...
like a perfectionist,the dead racked up like a artisan to his craft, he dispatch them cleanly but efficiently...
As he turned to the remaining survivors....
"Kill them all... But leave one alive..."
Sound of bolters and plasma echoed in the room...
Blood and burnt flesh lay scatter across the floor...
####
Alexander stood amongst the giant and mechanical soldiers as he swept past the people changing faces to gather Intel rather from their mouths...
He found the leader of the base still clinging on to dear life... Ready to initiate a self destruct...
But ironic that he is now held up in the air by a Iron Warrior for Alexander to get a closer look at the enemy...
"Nothing personal... When our organization had bad blood.. I would have ignore the jabs... But you push to far...you dammed humanity the moment you consorted those that destroy us."
"The Federation would never forgive you for this! You will bring the downfall of humanity!" The Commander gritted his teeth...
"How would they know? When I can make everything just disappear just like you." Alexander smirked as he dove the knife straight into the Abdomen of the commander. And he walked by appearing a Night Lord in his wake ready to commence his task at hand...
There was screams as the commander skin was flayed... And his organs were ripped out...
Only leaving a pile of organs and a skeleton heaving for air that still thinks he is alive... The night lords still retain their craft of flaying...
He didn't need hasten the death of the commander as he consorted with demons that undermines humanity? Death is a luxury...
After a half an hour of watching him suffer, Alexander killed him with a flamer... And his memories flooded into him...
"So... even my loyalty is meaningless to human malice huh?" Alexander looked at the burnt ashes of the commander...
Turns out there are higher echelon of the Federation funded the radicals...
But he knew now it is not the time to bare his fangs... Not just yet...
Wait until a opportunity to do so...
Next morning, the daily shipments of weapons arrive in the warehouse unaware of what happened the night prior... They checked the crates that is still there... But they needed to find written signature of the leader of the base... As they head downstairs... They found the facility was empty and all the staff and materials was missing... And the signs of battle prior did not appear as if the place was newly renovated...
They freaked out... And search for the commander... As they reached the vault... It was covered in ashes and a message was written in it...
"Last chance, From Devil"
The people that witness it, informed the headquarters and found no recordings of what happened the night prior... Not even the black box is safe as all it shown was a garbled mess of codes and scattered images...
Alexander was held at a tribunal and they found nothing wrong...
As he had a alibi that he was at the scholar Progenium... Handling the task of the new dean to learn the ropes... And question why there is a hideout in the near proximity of the scholar Progenium? Are they child trafficking?
Ironic that the radical element is silence as they had no evidence aside from the dust...even the forensic teams unable to pinpoint the involvement of the Director of the destruction...
######
While Alexander raised harvoc in Mars...
One of the Primarchs wander the earth...
Lorgar Aurelian... He was on a pilgrimage to visit every religion on earth and understand it...
While he read books about the old religion... This place still have people that have different religions and beliefs... He debated, question those that kept their faith... Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Shintoism... He observed and discuss with the Priest and holy men of their faith...
He was called the Pilgrim...
But one such journey he ended up in Tibet... On a lone monastery for monks...
The stone door creaked from the slight push from Lorgar... He watched as hundreds of Monks prayed silently as if they were trying to achieve enlightenment... The head priest noticed the incursion and smiled...
"Ah the Son of Gold... Welcome to my humble abode..."
"You knew my father?"
"He was like you when he question the universe... Sadly to say it didn't quite work out did it?"
"How do you know him?"
"He was a traveller like you when he first entered the same door.. But in his journey of seeking why humanity seeks faith... He... began to feel hopeless..." The head priest sighed...
"Come in and close the door behind you... The wind is a bit chilly today..." The Aged priest smiled...
As Lorgar followed the priest, he passed by countless of monks silently praying...
"It seems fate have tasked you to follow your father footsteps... Here..." The priest pointed to a archaic circle...
"It was your father's connect to the universe... I hope you can take up the path why he gave up .."
As Lorgar sat down on the circle he found that there is the Emperor essence lingering on the circle... As he closed his eyes and tried to follow it... He found himself following his father footsteps in the history of humanity... The first religion was born from his father deeds... To the dreams and purpose warped by people seek to undermine it for their ambition...
He never told Lorgar why he hated religion... Until he burned Monarchia...
"Even the message that brings hope can bring darkness..." A voice was heard behind him...
Lorgar turned around and saw his father albeit much younger...
"Seems like he never did told you why he hated religion?"
"I suppose you deserve some answers..."
A flash of light erupted from the child Emperor and Lorgar found himself in a desert...
"When people see things unknown they applied it to the gods... Rains when the gods are sad, droughts when the god punish the evildoers... People are like sheep..."
Lorgar watched as people prayed to try skies for good harvest... They flee when there is a flood...
When in crisis people turned to faith...
"But even sheep had elected people to understand the meaning of gods..." He was shown the first priest being chosen...
"But humans are fallable, easy to be astrayed from the message..." Lorgar was sent to the dark age of humanity where religion rues over logic... A lot similar to the Imperium... But the priests consorted to the dark gods for power and mislead the people to damnation...
"Ironic right? I used to believed that humanity can defy the demons within their hearts, we become and surpass the gods they worshipped...I hope one day... One of my son's see this... And understand my motives..."
"But I know I can trust you, the Listener to lead the people from the darkness they desire... Whoever listening to this..I wished you the best..." The Vision ended leaving Lorgar waking from a trance...
"It seems you found your answer..." The priest held out a tea cup that fit Lorgar hands...
"Thank you...seems like father still trusted me..."
"We all have ways to express our concerns... But there are times we are unable to do so..."
Lorgar smiled a bit as he discuss more about what was the emperor like during his time in the monastery... As he left .... And about to say something... The doors of the monastery disappear as if it wasn't there...
Lorgar was stunned for a moment but he was glad to understand the emperor thinks even for a moment...
_____________
(A/N): Farming is hard but we are working overtime... I just hope the chapter is consistent but when rain fall weeds rise up like a storm... Now it's more under maintenance... And keeping the weeds from overgrowing. .
Book time...
Hmm... How about a civil war instead of a traitor of mars?
That'll make things more interesting...